SAM Allardyce saluted the unsung heroes of Wanderers' Premiership campaign when he praised his medical team for keeping the treatment room clear.

"I listen to Alan Curbishley who complains of having had seven or eight players needing operations this season and George Burley having six, seven or eight out injured and know how lucky I have been," the Reebok boss said, comparing his situation with his Charlton and Ipswich rivals.

"And that's the reason for the difference in our league positions - the strength of our squads."

Allardyce knows he has been fortunate to avoid any major injury problems since August. Apart from the odd knock and strain, Henrik Pedersen is the only player who has faced a lengthy lay-off and he was back in training this week after undergoing minor surgery to sort out an abdominal problem.

But he also believes his backroom team has played a significant role in keeping the casualty list down. "This is probably the longest I've gone into a season with so few injuries since my Blackpool days," he says. "It's about prevention rather than cure.

"The medical staff's been absolutely fantastic."

Having near fully-fit squads has given the manager the luxury of being able to field strong 2nd Xls in the Worthington Cup run, most recently the clash with Southampton that secured a quarter-final at Spurs on Tuesday night

"Having so few injuries meant I was able to make nine changes for the Southampton game," Allardyce points out, "and it's going to help over the next few weeks when the pitches get wetter, the training ground gets heavier and fatigue starts creeping in. Injuries are bound to crop up and we will need the cover.

"Every time you go into a competitive game, there's an injury round the corner. To be honest, that's why we play very few first team squad members in the reserves these days."